Don't be afraid to give Straily another chance

By Mike Wollschlager, New Haven Register

Posted:
05/05/2013 08:26:14 AM MDT

Updated:
05/05/2013 08:26:19 AM MDT

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Seattle Mariners' Kyle Seager during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Friday, May 3, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn (Frank Gunn)

Last week I wrote about minor leaguers who I thought could have an immediate impact on your fantasy team. One of my favorites in that group was Oakland pitcher Daniel Straily.

Ask and you shall receive. But then again, be careful what you wish for. Straily got the call-up to start Monday's game against the Angels and give oft-injured left-hander Brett Anderson time to recover from a sprained ankle.

Albert Pujols greeted the young righty with a first-inning home run before Mark Trumbo said hello and good-bye in the second inning. But Straily buckled down and had solid frames in the third and the fourth before unraveling in the fifth. He showed promise (six strikeouts and one walk in 4â ¢) but he ultimately got battered by a good lineup.

In an ironic twist, out of need in extra innings, Anderson bit the bullet and stepped onto the mound with his bad ankle in the 13th and proceeded to pitch 5§ strong innings before further injuring his ankle and leaving the game in the 18th.

Straily got sent back down to the minors after the game, but, when it was determined Anderson would need a DL stint (the fifth of his young career), Straily was immediately recalled.

It's kind of like breaking up with a girl, having second thoughts and then calling her to tell her, "I made a mistake. I want you back." Hopefully Straily doesn't feel like a jilted lover when he toes the rubber at Yankee Stadium Sunday. And if he pitches well enough, maybe Oakland will put a ring on it.

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RICKY RO, WHERE DID YOU GO?

One of the more perplexing falls from grace belongs to Toronto starter Ricky Romero. He was the sixth overall pick of the 2005 draft, won 13 games as a rookie in 2009 and then increased his win total and decreased his ERA each of the next two seasons. In 2012 he made his second-consecutive Opening Day start and by June 22 boasted an 8-1 record. He has one win since that day.

In his final 18 starts of 2012, he walked 63 batters in 92â ¢ innings. Toronto was so concerned that when his struggles continued into spring training this year, the Blue Jays left him in Florida when they broke camp, treating Romero more like an 18-year-old draft pick fresh out of high school than a former All-Star.

Romero was so damaged that he didn't even pitch in his first Class A game until last Saturday. He spent a month working on his mechanics in non-game situations. When he finally made that first start, he pitched seven innings of one-run ball. Even more encouraging, he didn't walk a batter.

When Josh "DL" Johnson inevitably went down with an injury, the Blue Jays trusted Romero enough to bring him up to the bigs after just one start at High-A Dunedin. The good news is he was facing a weak-hitting Seattle team. The bad news is it was Felix Hernandez's day to pitch.

Through the first three innings, Romero faced the minimum nine batters, allowing just a single to Kyle Seager, who was erased on a double play. But the fourth inning brought trouble. Romero walked three, hit one, threw a wild pitch and gave up a two-run homer and a run-scoring single. It was his final inning of the day — he was complaining of forearm stiffness; X-rays came back negative — but I'm encouraged by the start.

He has too much talent and too much of a track record to not turn things around. He may not be as good as those first three innings, but he won't be as bad as the fourth. I wouldn't rush him into the starting lineup, especially until he's fully healthy, but I wouldn't hesitate to stash him on the bench. If he even gets close to what he's done in the past, he could be a real difference-maker down the stretch.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

One of the other minor-leaguers I mentioned last week was Reds prospect Billy Hamilton. I suggested Cincinnati bring him and his 155 steals up to take over the shortstop position from Zack Cozart.

Reader and Reds fan Rich from West Haven pointed out that Hamilton was moved to center field this year. Good thing I'm paying attention. One month into a position change from short to center coupled with a .194 batting average doesn't scream "promotion."

But if he does get called up, he'll still be eligible at shortstop. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Mike Wollschlager can be reached at mwollschlager@nhregister.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @nhrMikeW.